A former tennis star and ex-French Open champion is facing a serious allegation in Japan.
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Rika Hiraki, who won the mixed doubles championship at the 1997 French Open, has been arrested on suspicion of helping defraud a woman through an online scheme, according to Kyodo News.
Hiraki, 54, has denied the allegation and reportedly told investigators she knows nothing about the matter.
Police believe Hiraki may have worked with unidentified accomplices in a scheme targeting a woman who was in her 50s at the time. And the alleged story used to convince the woman to send money was quite elaborate.
According to police, someone posed on social media as an orthopedic surgeon working in France whose wife had died. The woman was allegedly told she needed to pay for a certificate so the deceased wife's belongings could clear customs after being shipped to Japan.
Authorities say the woman transferred 300,000 yen, or roughly $1,840, to a bank account in Hiraki's name in May 2022.
Police say security footage then showed the tennis star withdrawing money from that account at an ATM on the same day.
Investigators are reportedly looking into complaints from other people who claim they also lost money after making transfers to the account.
Before her arrest, Hiraki was best known for her tennis career.
She teamed with India's Mahesh Bhupathi to win the 1997 French Open mixed doubles championship, making the allegations surrounding her more than a little surprising.
Police say the investigation is continuing, while Hiraki maintains that she had no knowledge of the alleged fraud.
